HIGH SCHOOL CLOSE-UPS

BASEBALL

THOMAS MILONE

Senior, Saugus

Then: Was named most valuable player on the freshman team before earning a starting spot on the varsity as a sophomore right fielder and part-time pitcher. He emerged as one of the best two-way players in the Foothill League last season, when he batted .438 with seven home runs and a league-high 36 runs batted in, which was also a school record. On the mound, he went 7-1 with a 1.92 earned-run average. In his most memorable game, he pitched a four-hitter in a 4-0 victory over league champion Valencia, which came into the game ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times.

Now: Continues to frustrate opponents with his ability to take over games. Milone, a left-hander, shut down Newhall Hart last week for the second time this season, allowing five hits in six innings in a 9-0 victory. Milone also contributed two hits and a run batted in. On March 15, he threw a five-hitter and hit two home runs in a 10-0 victory over the Indians, who came into the game ranked No. 1 by The Times. Milone is batting .510 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. He’s also 6-1 with an 0.72 ERA, 42 strikeouts and only one walk in 39 innings.

Quote: “He’s the guy that everybody looks to,” Coach George Lopata said. “He’s our inspirational leader, and not so much vocally, but just the way he goes about his business.”

Dan Arritt

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SOFTBALL

ANDI RAMIREZ

Senior, Simi Valley Royal

Then: It took less than two weeks for Ramirez to win the shortstop job as a ninth-grader, and she was one of three freshmen, including third baseman Devon Hofland and center fielder/pitcher Heather Erickson, who went on to become four-year starters. A quiet but positive-thinking leader, Ramirez’s batting average has steadily improved. She batted second in her first two seasons and finished in the high .300s as a sophomore. She began her junior season batting third, then moved to the leadoff spot in midseason. Ramirez finished with a team-high .459 average with 24 runs and 21 runs batted in.

Now: Royal has six players who could bat cleanup, including Ramirez, but she remains at the top of the order to get her the most at-bats. She is averaging a team-high .469 with 20 runs and seven RBIs, and she has scored runs in 10 of 15 games for Royal, which won the San Fernando Valley tournament title on Saturday with victories over Westlake Village Westlake and Woodland Hills El Camino Real. Although she had her pick of most college powers, she signed with Brigham Young.

Quote: “When we saw her this season, it was like, ‘Wow, what a monster,’ ” Coach Bill Dishon said. “She just kind of quietly got it done in the past, and this has been her breakout year.”

Martin Henderson

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BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

CHRIS CEBALLOS

Senior, Playa del Rey St. Bernard

Then: A first cousin of Cedric Ceballos, who played basketball at Cal State Fullerton and in the NBA with four teams, including the Lakers, Chris Ceballos has been a four-year starter in volleyball and basketball and an all-league first-team selection in both in each of the last two seasons. He was a member of a 14-and-under travel team that won a national basketball title the summer before his freshman year.

Now: At 6-1 and 182 pounds, Ceballos is small for a Division I prospect, but a 40-inch vertical leap, unusual flexibility and superior athleticism have helped the Vikings utilize him as what Coach Jason Olive calls “a modified middle blocker.” Always the team’s primary attacker, Ceballos has averaged 27 kills and four blocks. He had a school-record 45 kills in one match and he had a season-best 39 Tuesday in a loss to San Pedro Mary Star that left the Vikings (11-3, 3-1) in a three-way tie for first in the Camino Real League. With a 4.10 grade-point average, Ceballos has drawn interest from USC, UC Santa Barbara, St. Joseph’s, Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount, among others.

Quote: “I really didn’t think I’d be as good as I am in volleyball,” Ceballos said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to try to put St. Bernard on the map.”

-- Lauren Peterson